Aug. 14-16: Blue Jays vs. Yankees Series Thread

[Antithesis]

Toronto Blue Jays (64-52, conquering Kings of the universe) vs. New Boo York Yankees (62-51, 2nd place in AL East)

Probable Starters:

Friday @5:00 PM Mountain Time: TOR: David Price, 11-4, 2.35 ERA; NYY: Ivan Nova, 4-4, 3.52 ERA
Saturday @11:00 AM Mountain Time: TOR: Marco Estrada, 10-6, 3.21 ERA; NYY: Masahiro Tanaka, 8-5, 3.79 ERA
Sunday @11:00 AM Mountain Time: TOR: Drew Hutchison, 11-2, 5.26 ERA; NYY: Luis Severino, 0-1, 2.45 ERA

The Blue Jays are the only team since the 1954 Kansas City Royals to have two 11-game winning streaks in the same season. Tonight, they are seeking a 12th-straight victory, which would represent a franchise record; their current 11-game streak is tied with four other 11-game streaks for that record at the moment. Additionally, the Blue Jays are the 4th-fastest team to overcome a 8.0 or 8.5 game deficit and take the outright division lead in MLB history, doing so in 14 games.

Everything is coming up Blue Jays at the moment, isn't it? Their VP of Marketing was on the pre-game show last night and mentioned that since they traded for Tulowitzki, they have sold over 440,000 tickets.

The Blue Jays are now favored to win the division, according to FanGraphs. They have a 57.0% likelihood of doing so vs. the Yankees 39.2% chance. The Jays also have a 36.4% chance of taking a Wild Card spot, meaning FanGraphs calculates their odds of making the playoffs as 93.4% likely. Here is some more information about their recent surge represented visually, courtesy of ESPN.com:

http://i60.tinypic.com/2vvrssm.png

Excellent!

If the Jays sweep this series, they will have a 3.5 game lead on the Yankees for the division. The the Jays win two of three, they will have a 1.5 game lead. We won't consider other possibilities.

As always, fans new and old: don't be shy! This is a strict anti-bandwagon-shaming zone. The more people posting and participating, the better; if you have a question, ask it! We are all happy to answer and discuss baseball with you.

Info on the pitchers!

Over his career, current Yankee hitters have the following stats vs. David Price: 278 AB, 70 H, 8 HR, 67 K, 0.252 AVG, 0.320 OBP, 0.421 SLG, 0.741 OPS
Over his career, current Yankee hitters have the following stats vs. Marco Estrada: 81 AB, 22 H, 4 HR, 16 K, 0.272 AVG, 0.326 OBP, 0.444 SLG, 0.770 OPS
Over his career, current Yankee hitters have the following stats vs. Drew Hutchison: 97 AB, 22 H, 7 HR, 25 K, 0.227 AVG, 0.347 OBP, 0.485 SLG, 0.832 OPS

OK!

BLUE JAYS!

LETS!

PLAY!

BALL!

[username]

This series is going to be crazy. I'd love to be in Toronto right now........

[Yoho]

It's going down for real!!

[Enoch Root]

Just win the series. If they do that, they will have a game and a half lead and will have caught the Yankees in the loss column.

[cavalera403]

Huge series in a different way from last weekend. You have to make hay while the sun is out and if by some way you could get all three and give yourself some breathing room it would be invaluable. The Jays will lose (not many) again and the Yankees will not keep getting swept.

The rest for Troy was big yesterday and the laugher game really took some mental pressure off for a few innings ( put up 10 and coast)

I am in Seattle this weekend and won't be glued to a TV but my roaming data is going to get hammered checking the AtBat app. Thank god for free Starbucks/ wifi on every corner

[JiriHrdina]

I still can't grasp how Hutch is 11-2!

[nik-]

I demand a sweep!

[brocoli]

The Yankees offence just has to wake up. I feel good with Price starting this, but I fear that their offence can't stay so dormant for so long. I have a really bad feeling about Sunday's game. Jays win the series, but no sweep

[Caged Great]

I doubt that they'll throw Hutch in the 3rd game. Makes more sense to have Dickey go instead and save Hutch for the Phillies. It'll throw off the Yanks timing, which would be a good thing, especially with how their offense has had difficulties after facing two knucklers in 4 days last week.

[SuperMatt18]

I still can't grasp how Hutch is 11-2!

And a -1 WAR.

Crazy to think that a pitcher who is supposed to have negative Wins vs replacement, is 11-2.

[Caged Great]

And a -1 WAR.

Crazy to think that a pitcher who is supposed to have negative Wins vs replacement, is 11-2.

The specific term for his season is horseshoes up his posterior.

[Pagal4321]

EE is back in the lineup, hopefully he takes the parrot for a few walks.

[Jason14h]

The specific term for his season is horseshoes up his posterior.

Sort of.

He's 9-1 with like a 2.50 ERA at home. Most of those should be wins

The no decisions are lucky on the road though

[Enoch Root]

Sort of.

He's 9-1 with like a 2.50 ERA at home. Most of those should be wins

The no decisions are lucky on the road though

Lucky?

His ERA on the road is 9.0. He has given up 54 runs in 11 appearances.

His 2-1 record isn't lucky, it's criminal.

But yes, he has been good at home and probably doesn't deserve the grief he's gotten.

[JBR]

We got this.

Let's go Yankees!

[Yoho]

We got this.

Let's go Yankees!

This one with Mr. Price on the mound? I doubt it.

[JBR]

This one with Mr. Price on the mound? I doubt it.


Yankees have hit him well throughout his career, other than the last start.

4.41 era (3.12 vs other teams) and a 10-7 record in 27 starts. Not exactly dominant.

Hopefully the trend will continue tonight.

[BloodFetish]

Hey Antithesis, just wanted to say thanks for the time and research you're putting into the series thread. Very enjoyable reads!

[Karl]

Thank goodness the Chardy-Isner match is over. Now SN can focus on Blue Jays Baseball.

[Lil Pedro]

Looks like the roof is closed tonight :(

[Tyler]

Baseball!!

[jschick88]

Playball. Go Jays Go!!

[Tyler]

Good inning

[jayswin]

I'm 95% sure that touched his glove before dropping foul.

[Dan02]

I'm 95% sure that touched his glove before dropping foul.

Definitely did, but it doesn't matter that he touched it or not it matters whether it was going to land foul before it was touched or not. Guess the Jays thought it was gonna land foul regardless so they didn't challenge. Close though.

[whosurnabby]

We need you Edwin...I hope it wasn't the injured finger.

[KelVarnsen]

Good umpire...

[whosurnabby]

Those first two pitches to Go-Go definitely had some Yankees Magic™ F'in ridiculous.

[KelVarnsen]

Brendan Ryan looks so stupid.

[whosurnabby]

Yankees will win this review call...coz you know, Yankees Magic™

[jayswin]

I've seen announced "sellout" crowds at Rogers Centre before. Opening day, yesterday, last weekend etc, but all of those had significant pockets of empty seats.

This is the first time in Jays watching history where it's a "sorry there are no tickets for this event" sellout where you literally can't see an empty seat when they pan the crowd.

It looks incredible, almost surreal for us younger fans that weren't part of 92/93.

[jayswin]

Also, I don't know what the threshold is for the seemingly endless upward trend of Jays popularity, but I'm pretty stoked to see the TV numbers for this series when all is said and done.

Is it reasonable to think that it might actually go up from where it's been? The norm these days is just over a million, with that record of 1.44 the other day.

It would be awesome to see a +1.5mil game, but maybe that's asking too much.

[whosurnabby]

Here we go Boys..oh man..is Girardi going to trust Nova again this time out like he did last week in NYC? Tulo at bat and JD is on deck...Yeesh.

[GirlySports]

Ha who needs bunting!

[jayswin]

Nice! Pillar was already so far ahead he hit third like nothing.

[dsavillian]

Also, I don't know what the threshold is for the seemingly endless upward trend of Jays popularity, but I'm pretty stoked to see the TV numbers for this series when all is said and done.

Is it reasonable to think that it might actually go up from where it's been? The norm these days is just over a million, with that record of 1.44 the other day.

It would be awesome to see a +1.5mil game, but maybe that's asking too much.

Friday night, prime time game with an ace pitcher vs the Yankees?

Wouldn't be surprised if the numbers are insane

[jayswin]

Potential for a huge, possible game winning inning here.

[jayswin]

Wow, that's pretty ballsy to take a hard hit ball right off his pitching hand.

[GirlySports]

Woooo!!@

[dsavillian]

Potential for a huge, possible game winning inning here.

Called it!

[whosurnabby]

Let's give that parrot a ride Edwin! Let's Go Blue Jays!

[dsavillian]

Great to see 3 runs without a home run.

[Lil Pedro]

Awesome inning!

[Finger Cookin]

Just buy the ####ing car already, Tom.

[Caged Great]

Here's hoping Price can have a fast inning or two, otherwise he'll be lucky to get to the end of the 6th with his pitch count. That's not necessarily a bad thing because our pen is nice and rested.

[whosurnabby]

Great to see 3 runs without a home run.
Definitely need that skill when the Jays head to a bigger stadium like Kauffman's Stadium or most NL ballparks.;)

[whosurnabby]

Go-Go's glove just sucking every ball hit in the middle like a vacuum cleaner!

[Caged Great]

Just what the doctor ordered.

[Enoch Root]

That's insane - they've trailed for 2 innings in the 11 game win streak.

That's 100 innings (one game went to 10) and they have trailed in 2 of them.

That is fracking ridiculous!

[Enoch Root]

George Bell looks like the guy in that laughing video - the guy with the tooth who can't stop laughing

[calgarybornnraised]

My boy's have never watched a full baseball game and their 8 and 14. They have not missed a game in two weeks and are completely on the bandwagon. I got tears in my eyes explaining Joe Carter and 22 years ago. Can't believe it's been that long.

[Caged Great]

I hate that guy's mustache.

[whosurnabby]

My boy's have never watched a full baseball game and their 8 and 14. They have not missed a game in two weeks and are completely on the bandwagon. I got tears in my eyes explaining Joe Carter and 23 years ago. Can't believe it's been that long.
The more the merrier. Here's hoping that we'll get AAA teams in Canada once again if the Jays stay competitive for YEARS.:)

[Enoch Root]

Beauty!

and 77 pitches through 5

[KootenayFlamesFan]

That's what's nice about having an ace like Price, even when he gets into a bit of trouble he seems to get out of it.

Jays have now blanked the Yankees for over 30 innings.

[Caged Great]

A little nervous there, but thankfully Price was able to get out of it.

[Enoch Root]

31 straight, I believe

[calgarybornnraised]

Remember the free Cannons tickets every year. I remember getting them from school, and you look back at the names that came through here. Nice to see my kids (at least) getting into baseball.

[Enoch Root]

calm on Ben, get it started with a walk

[jayswin]

Remember the free Cannons tickets every year. I remember getting them from school, and you look back at the names that came through here. Nice to see my kids (at least) getting into baseball.

Is there a place to see all the names that came through the Cannons? It would be pretty cool to see. I know A-rod but that's it.

[whosurnabby]

from twitter:

"#BlueJays are the first team to shut out the #Yankees for 31 consecutive innings since the Tigers in 1934."
WOW. This team, man.

[dsavillian]

4 more outs from price would be fantastic

[Tyler]

Way to get out of the inning! Love Price! Get play Go Go!

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Nice play by Goins.

[Enoch Root]

outstanding by Goins!

[KelVarnsen]

Goins is good at defense.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Such a sick play by Goins.

[Hockey Fan #751]

Is there a place to see all the names that came through the Cannons? It would be pretty cool to see. I know A-rod but that's it.

Some names like Edgar Martinez, Danny Tartabull, Jay Buhner, Omar Vizquel, Tino Martinez, Harold Reynolds and A.J. Burnett stick out to me.

Plus some guys who came down after making the majors like Cliff Floyd, Jim Abbott, etc.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Someone needs to put out an APB for Martin's bat. He's been MIA for quite a while now.

Add to that the struggles of Tulowitzki, Revere, and Pillar.

Thank god the pitching has been so good lately.

[Caged Great]

Martin must be playing hurt. 1 xb hit since the beginning of the month and a bunch of bad at bats.

[calgarybornnraised]

Is there a place to see all the names that came through the Cannons? It would be pretty cool to see. I know A-rod but that's it.

It's not so much the names that played for the Cannons but the names of other teams. Having a AAA team was cool. But the weather here can't handle it.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Some names like Edgar Martinez, Danny Tartabull, Jay Buhner, Omar Vizquel, Tino Martinez, Harold Reynolds and A.J. Burnett stick out to me.

Plus some guys who came down after making the majors like Cliff Floyd, Jim Abbott, etc.

HAH! Funny story about Cliff Floyd. Me and some friends decided to hit a Cannons game one night and we hung out in the beer gardens down the left field line. We were barely paying attention to the game, but I noticed that Floyd was playing left field that night (obviously in a rehab stint). A pop up comes down towards us but we couldn't see it because of the setting sun and we just kinda covered our heads and hoped it didn't hit us. The ball drops near us and we all look up and there's Cliff Floyd right in our faces with a quick "BOO!" (as if to scare us), and then ran off smiling back to his position.

100% Cool Story Brah.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Man, Price has been so clutch when it matters tonight. Sure, they have 8 hits, but scattered over most innings and never one when it counted. Love the way he dials it in during pressure situations. That's a true ace quality.

[Caged Great]

7 shut out innings. Nice start.

Throw it to Hawkins or Lowe next inning and Osuna in the 9th.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

A bloop for Tulo. Hopefully that gets his bat going again. We really haven't seen what he can do outside of a game or two.

[whosurnabby]

glad to see some of that Yankees Magic™ bite them in the ass. lol

[Cali Panthers Fan]

glad to see some of that Yankees Magic™ bite them in the ass. lol

What's weird is that even if it had been called fair, his foot came off the bag before he had control, so everyone would have been safe.

Bizarre play.

[Caged Great]

That should have been a fair ball. It was in fair territory when it was touched by a player in fair territory. Should have been bases loaded for Bautista.

[whosurnabby]

Is somebody out there trying to start the wave? SMH.

[whosurnabby]

ok I think it's time to bring Sanchez now.

[Sainters7]

Is there a place to see all the names that came through the Cannons? It would be pretty cool to see. I know A-rod but that's it.

Idk where you'd find that, but they were the Mariners' AAA team back in the early 90's Griffey days when they were good, so a lot of that talented roster spent time in Calgary.

Just off the top of my head, Jay Buhner was a Cannon for a while. Both Edgar and especially Tino Martinez were here for a long time. Someone told me Griffey himself spent some time here, but I don't know if that's accurate or not.

Thought it was cool how in 2000, right before the team left, they went on a magical run to win the league title with Jim Abbott as one of their starters. He was such a cool story.

Would love to see AAA ball return. And if it did, that'd be awesome if they called them the Cannons again.


Posted from Calgarypuck.com App for Android

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Um, one batter too late there Gibby.

[Caged Great]

That wasn't very good game management by Gibbons there. You could tell Price was getting burnt out after the solid contact by the two hitters. Don't leave him for a 3rd, but he did and it happened.

Hopefully Sanchez can get out of the inning with the lead intact.

[whosurnabby]

Let's Go Sanchez! Hold this lead for the good guys!

[Cali Panthers Fan]

#### me.

[whosurnabby]

Fuuuu....:( Here's hoping that doesn't shatter his confidence..we're still in this.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Can't throw heat down the middle like that. 4-3 Yanks.

[KelVarnsen]

Son of a

[Caged Great]

ffs

[GirlySports]

Sheesh yankees have 13 hits

[jayswin]

****, okay Jays offense, time to earn your money here.

[TKB]

Can't throw heat down the middle like that. 4-3 Yanks.

Wanted to see a off speed pitch at that point. You will only get heat by a guy so often.

[Buster]

Gibbons is a terrible manager.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Betances made Bautista look silly.

[jayswin]

Rough at bat by Bautista when we needed him in the worst way.

[whosurnabby]

Gibbons is a terrible manager.
Totally, because he had something to do with throwing a fastball down the middle to Beltran right? Everytime the Jays lose I keep on hearing this comment.

[jayswin]

Crap, our two biggest guns left, now they can finish off the game without getting to our tough bats.

[jayswin]

****, I jumped out of my chair on that one.

[Enoch Root]

I have always felt Gibbons was quick with the hook and I criticize him a lot for it.

But he is a big believer in starting the inning with his reliever and I thought he should have done it there. Why wait until the starter gets into trouble?

[GirlySports]

Price is a star. Not terrible to give him one more to get out of it.

[Enoch Root]

Price is a star. Not terrible to give him one more to get out of it.
He gave up 11 hits and was over 100 pitches - he shouldn't have been out in the 8th

Sanchez is better when starting the inning

[Cali Panthers Fan]

I have always felt Gibbons was quick with the hook and I criticize him a lot for it.

But he is a big believer in starting the inning with his reliever and I thought he should have done it there. Why wait until the starter gets into trouble?

Not only that, he left Price in to face the lefty, which made sense, but then he didn't bring in Sanchez to face the righty Headly who was already 2 for 3 against Price tonight. Next thing you know he hits a ground rule double.

Ok, so bring in Sanchez to face the righty Young. Makes sense except they have the red hot lefty Beltran on the bench to pinch hit into an outfielder's spot in the lineup. He wouldn't have likely subbed him for their 3rd baseman.

Gibbons has always been pretty poor at strategy and game management. I don't know how he gets a free pass so often for not paying attention to the game.

[Caged Great]

In the last 3 games, they've only scored in 4 innings. That was enough for two of them, but you need more than 1 big inning to win most games. The offense needs to pick it up, too many guys slumping. 6 out of the last 7 games have had 4 runs or less.

[whosurnabby]

here we go...3 more outs...put your rally caps on folks

[Mr.Coffee]

In the last 3 games, they've only scored in 4 innings. That was enough for two of them, but you need more than 1 big inning to win most games. The offense needs to pick it up, too many guys slumping. 6 out of the last 7 games have had 4 runs or less.

You're talking about the team that's won 11 in a row right?

I'm ok with them only ever scoring in one inning a game until eternity if they keep going on massive win streaks.

[GirlySports]

He gave up 11 hits and was over 100 pitches - he shouldn't have been out in the 8th

Sanchez is better when starting the inning


True he shouldnt have started the inning but once he did not terrible to give him a chance to finish.

- Headley is a switch hitter

[jayswin]

here we go...3 more outs...put your rally caps on folks

I'll be cheering hard but I don't know if you could pick a worse spot in our batting order to start this inning.

Heading into the bottom of the order, starting with a cold, cold bat in Martin.

[whosurnabby]

ugh. I've read somewhere that catching Dickey has something to do with Martin's struggles at the plate.

[jayswin]

Damn

[ThatsRobbery]

Not only that, he left Price in to face the lefty, which made sense, but then he didn't bring in Sanchez to face the righty Headly who was already 2 for 3 against Price tonight. Next thing you know he hits a ground rule double.

Ok, so bring in Sanchez to face the righty Young. Makes sense except they have the red hot lefty Beltran on the bench to pinch hit into an outfielder's spot in the lineup. He wouldn't have likely subbed him for their 3rd baseman.

Gibbons has always been pretty poor at strategy and game management. I don't know how he gets a free pass so often for not paying attention to the game.

Chase Headley is a switch hitter, so I dont mind him leaving in Price for him, Sanchez has massive splits. Should of had Cecil ready earlier I think for Headley but Im alright with leaving Price in, even getting hit around I bit

[whosurnabby]

full count..please serve Collabello a fastball

[Cali Panthers Fan]

ugh. I've read somewhere that catching Dickey has something to do with Martin's struggles at the plate.

Maybe on the day he actually catches him, but that's a complete bull#### excuse on any other day he plays.

[JiriHrdina]

Maybe on the day he actually catches him, but that's a complete bull#### excuse on any other day he plays.

Not if he's just beat up

[ThatsRobbery]

ugh. I've read somewhere that catching Dickey has something to do with Martin's struggles at the plate.

Can make sense, seems like his hands taking a beating trying to catch the knuckler, but its honestly just a slump

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Sorry everyone, didn't realize Headley was a switch hitter.

I still don't like the way Gibbons manages the game. Never been a fan since day one (the first time around).

[whosurnabby]

Yes! Time to put on those rally caps!!!

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Wait, how does someone's hands get beat up catching a 70 some mile an hour knuckle ball? Other than moving the glove around more than normal, there isn't a whole lot of abuse on the hands. Maybe his legs take a bit more beating, but again that's only on the day he catches him.

Sorry, he's a pro and it shouldn't take that much of a toll on him. I'll give him a pass on those days he catches Dickey, but that's it.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Not over yet..................

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Ok Ben, time to hit a solid single. That's all we need here. You're a high average contact hitter. Make it happen.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Ugh...tough for Ben lefty on lefty with that big sweeping breaking ball.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

2 down, Tulo up. Just need a base hit.

[jayswin]

Oh **** me!!! We needed ANY kind of contact. Wow, now we can't sacrifice. That one hurts bad, really bad.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Who says that baseball isn't exciting?

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Wow, what a long at bat. Great job by Tulo to hang in.

[jayswin]

Who does he think he is, Tony Fernandez?

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Crap. Great game, though.

[Enoch Root]

frick

that's on Gibbons

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Bummer. Great battle by Tulo.

Streak had to end at some point. Beltran got a pitch right down the middle he wasn't likely to miss. Finally a key moment that didn't go the Jays way. Regroup and come back tomorrow ready to HIT!

[KelVarnsen]

Balls

[jayswin]

I know in hockey fans will typically give a standing ovation when a long winning streak comes to an end with a loss at home.

Is that not a thing in MLB? Everyone just muttered and then headed for the exits, you'd think some recognition was in order for that massive streak.

[whosurnabby]

Regroup and come back tomorrow ready to HIT!
Beauty of baseball. You only have to wait 24 hours to exact your revenge on your sworn enemies.:D What a ballgame.

[jayswin]

Beauty of baseball. You only have to wait 24 hours to exact your revenge on your sworn enemies.:D What a ballgame.

14.5 hours. ;)

[InBurkeWeTrust]

Was a good run! On to the next!

[whosurnabby]

I can't wait to hear those party poopers call in on Jays Talk in a few minutes. I'm pretty sure they'll come out of hiding tonight.

[JiriHrdina]

Wait, how does someone's hands get beat up catching a 70 some mile an hour knuckle ball? Other than moving the glove around more than normal, there isn't a whole lot of abuse on the hands. Maybe his legs take a bit more beating, but again that's only on the day he catches him.

Sorry, he's a pro and it shouldn't take that much of a toll on him. I'll give him a pass on those days he catches Dickey, but that's it.

Common knowledge that catching is brutal and catching a knuckler is even worse. I think you are being entirely unfair in this case and that most people wouldn't question the hypothesis that catching a knuckler is hard on a catcher.

[Mr.Coffee]

I know in hockey fans will typically give a standing ovation when a long winning streak comes to an end with a loss at home.

Is that not a thing in MLB? Everyone just muttered and then headed for the exits, you'd think some recognition was in order for that massive streak.

I've never heard of that in hockey?

[SuperMatt18]

Probably has to do with timing and managing the speed and breaking point of pitches.

They mentioned how facing Dickey threw the Yankees bats off for a couple days.

My guess is that may be happening to Wilson from catching him every 5th day.

[Trojan97]

Well. It was a good run. See you all in 20 more years.

[whosurnabby]

Well. It was a good run. See you all in 20 more years.
Here's hoping that the guys respond with that L in a positive manner (ie: like they did after the KC loss earlier in the month). The streak was always bound to end...it's the reaction from the ballclub after a loss like this that truly matters. Previous Jays teams from the past 22 years would've folded and go on a long losing streak after a big game...let's see what this team is made of tomorrow afternoon.

[Hockey]

Exciting end to the game for sure, it's just too bad Revere couldn't make contact at all.

[Strange Brew]

There will be many tough losses on the road to a championship. Trying to win each series is what is important from here on out.

Great at bat by Tulo there. Really didn't think it would end in a K.

Bet the good guys win tomorrow.

[Yoho]

You win this battle JBR, but the war is still in our sights.

[dino7c]

should be interesting to see how they respond, in recent years they have had massive winning streaks followed by losing skids hopefully things are different this time.

People have been talking like they have the division wrapped up, long way to go

[Dan02]

I can't believe they sent price out to start the 8th. He might have had a shutout going through 7 but he didn't have his A stuff tonight.

[JBR]

You win this battle JBR, but the war is still in our sights.


So the parade is on hold... for now?

[emoji41]

[transplant99]

There will be many tough losses on the road to a championship. Trying to win each series is what is important from here on out.

Great at bat by Tulo there. Really didn't think it would end in a K.

Bet the good guys win tomorrow.


Really?

I thought it was a brilliant battle but Miller was tremendous as he stayed with his strength. It was obvious that Tulo couldn't hit that pitch and Miller just kept feeding him more of them until he whiffed on one.

Great game though and as always in baseball, there is another game today to wipe out the bad taste from yesterday.

Jays are still constructed brilliantly from top to bottom and should be fine going forward.

[Yoho]

So the parade is on hold... for now?

[emoji41]

I still like the Jays chances against a team whose gone 4-6 in their last ten, but this is exciting baseball.

[browna]

Just a heads up, MLB at Bat (premium and regular) are on sale today and tomorrow. $25usd for Premium for the rest of the year (it's usually $25 per month). Premium allows playing game through Apple and Android apps, while regular is just via the Web.

Rogers (shocking) dropped the blackout restrictions last year, so no blacking out of Jays games in their home market (Canada) . Playoff games may be ok too without blackout.

Good deal if you've cut the cable TV cord, or are on vacation somewhere without Snet in the next month and a half.

[Enoch Root]

Jays bats are cold - need Estrada to keep them in it

[Enoch Root]

And Tanaka throws junk - probably the worst Yankee pitcher they could face at the moment

[JayP]

Bautista is just not a good fielder - as much as Buck and Pat try to tell us otherwise.

[Enoch Root]

Bautista is just not a good fielder - as much as Buck and Pat try to tell us otherwise.

The ball has been carrying to right all week, there's nobody on and one out - how about playing a bit deeper Jose?

[Enoch Root]

another nice play by Goins shuts the inning down

[Enoch Root]

need to get the bats going here and start making Tanaka work a bit

[Tyler]

Bautista is just not a good fielder - as much as Buck and Pat try to tell us otherwise.

Disagree

[Finger Cookin]

Waiting for Tulo's bat to wake up.

[JayP]

Disagree

He makes some "spectacular" catches but that's typically because his lack of range means he can't just run those balls down. The advanced numbers back this up. He's got a great arm and its a weapon, but he's simply not a good fielder.

[Caged Great]

Waiting for all the Jays bats to wake up. Small outpourings of offense this week. They need to be more consistent.

[Tyler]

Atta boy Eddie

[Finger Cookin]

Waiting for all the Jays bats to wake up. Small outpourings of offense this week. They need to be more consistent.

Well, not all. Way to go, EE! 13 games in a row with a hit!

[Hockey]

Damn, just can't seem to get anything going this game.

[JayP]

Just terrible at-bats all series long. A lot of uncharacteristic hacking making it very easy on the Yankees. The Jays really need to settle down and work the count - stop trying to do too much in these big games.

[Enoch Root]

ok, time for the big boys to earn their pay

[jayswin]

This is your time Tulo, get hot.

[Hockey]

Let's go Tulo!

[jayswin]

A walk will work as well.;)

[Enoch Root]

gotta make them pay now

[Caged Great]

Hopefully they can get at least 1 run here.

[Hockey]

Time to make it rain!!

[jayswin]

Alright Jays, DO NOT let him off the hook here. We need a couple runs minimum out of this.

[Caged Great]

At least it's tied. Make it rain Jose.

[Hockey]

Gotta get something here and have EE come up with runners on.

[jayswin]

Damnit, I'll take it considering how our offense has been. Hopefully we can squeeze one more run out of this inning.

It's funny, a week ago if we had bases loaded with 0 outs and Donaldson up, it was pretty much a guaranteed big run inning. These days we have to temper our expectations and just hope we can get a couple.

[jayswin]

Bautista goes fishing.

[Enoch Root]

that's at least 4 Ks off balls in the dirt


they're just not being patient today

[Caged Great]

1 run it is.

At least it's tied.

[Enoch Root]

1 run out of that probably costs them the ballgame

[Hockey]

Well I guess it's better then nothing. Needed to cash in more though with who we had up.

[jayswin]

Haha, it's nice to be tied, but like I said, 0 outs, bases loaded Donaldson, Bautista and EE up?

That was automatic carnage for opposing teams before our bats went cold.

[Yoho]

God he is hitting well

[Enoch Root]

and the Jays inning is erased instantly - that's why 1 wasn't enough

[Caged Great]

Yep, it looks like the bats evaporating are going to burn two good pitching performances.

[Tyler]

Knowing our luck, that'll be a HR

[Hockey]

I think my remote would have gone through the TV if they called that a HR.

[jayswin]

Let's go Blue Jays!

[Caged Great]

In order to hit 90 wins, the Jays will have to finish the year 26-18 assuming they fail to come back.

That's not a big deal.

The bats will turn around. Just disappointing timing.

[Hockey]

Not sure about this strike zone today.

[JayP]

In order to hit 90 wins, the Jays will have to finish the year 26-18 assuming they fail to come back.

That's not a big deal.

The bats will turn around. Just disappointing timing.

That's fine and all, but the goal has to be winning the division and 90 wins might not do it. Making the wild card is just a 50/50 coin toss to get into the real playoffs. Its fun but one game can go either way.

[jayswin]

That's fine and all, but the goal has to be winning the division and 90 wins might not do it. Making the wild card is just a 50/50 coin toss to get into the real playoffs. Its fun but one game can go either way.

Yeah, wildcard is only playoffs by name. You're not in the playoffs until you have a playoff series scheduled, imo.

[KelVarnsen]

This game is making me sad.

[Skaloper]

This game is making me sad.

Tanaka showed how to beat the Jays but I find that most pitchers can't only pitch to the outside and get away with it. Sketchy strike zone didn't help much either today.

[jayswin]

This game is making me sad.

It's a very deflating weekend so far. I definitely don't want to be one of those wet blanket fans, but baseball is such a momentum league, more so than others, imo.

So when I saw yesterday and looked at the boxes checked off for the Yankees;

- Big pressure weekend for the Jays, first series sellout in forever

- Got that first win after the previous ownage by the Jays last weekend, plus their struggles against the Indians

- Faced our Ace first and beat him


I just looked at all that and thought, "In a momentum league, and the Yankees being one of the best teams in baseball, and our bats going cold, there's almost no way momentum doesn't shift to the Yankees in a big way this whole weekend".

[jayswin]

1 run out of that probably costs them the ballgame

I mean I felt bad thanking this post, but you could really feel it back then. 0 outs, bases loaded, heart of the order.

When we're on, that's automatic damage, today it felt like the bottom of the order was up.

[Enoch Root]

1 for 17 with runners in scoring position = losing ball games

But after going 14-1, you knew there was going to be a down period. Unfortunate that it has come against the Yankees.

Hopefully they can get the bats going tomorrow. Tulo needs to start hitting.

[Caged Great]

At least they get to play the Phillies after this which should be easier.

[jayswin]

At least they get to play the Phillies after this which should be easier.

Yeah, what I'm really hoping for is Dickey throws them off tomorrow, our batters pull their bats out of their asses and we grind out a win to minimize the damage of this series.

Then we sweep the two game series against the Phillies, and by Wednesday night we're sitting in first and feeling good again.

[SportsJunky]

Tanaka pitched a hell of a game today. Sometimes you come up against a pitcher who has great command of his stuff. It's not easy to silence the Jays bats. I think they may struggle against the rookie tomorrow as well.

[jschick88]

Yeah, what I'm really hoping for is Dickey throws them off tomorrow, our batters pull their bats out of their asses and we grind out a win to minimize the damage of this series.

Then we sweep the two game series against the Phillies, and by Wednesday night we're sitting in first and feeling good again.

Last I heard Hutchison was starting tomorrow or has that changed?

[jayswin]

Last I heard Hutchison was starting tomorrow or has that changed?

Oh yeah, looks like you're right. I was under the impression we were trying to switch things up in a way last week that would get Dickey in vs the Yankees because he tripped them up last weekend.

[transplant99]

http://storage.calgarysun.com/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297737016827_COMICS.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1439677830012&size=430x

[dino7c]

losing in the wild card play in game would be almost as bad as not making it at all...with this roster it would be a massive disappointment if they don't get into a playoff series

people keep talking about 93' looooooooong way to go

[jayswin]

Despite what I posted before I've done a 180 and am very optimistic about tomorrow. I think our big bats are going to get it going. Can't wait.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Well the first two games didn't go their way despite good starting pitching both days.

The good news is that Hutchison had a very good start last game. Hutch has had pretty good success against everyone in the Yankees lineup not named Ellsbury (nobody has an average over .250 against him). Add the fact that he's got great numbers at the Rogers Center and I'm pretty confident the starting pitching won't be an issue today.

The bats get an inexperienced pitcher today (only his 3rd major league start), and they've beaten up on rookie pitching this year, so I imagine this will be a slump buster for a lot of batters today.

Some more good news: After today the Jays only have 2 games in the next 4 days, and both are against the woeful Phillies. The bullpen, starting pitching, and starting lineup will get a nice rest and a chance to reset for the stretch drive. The next two opponents after that are the Angels and Rangers, so the Jays can cement their position in the Wild Card if they win those series.

They also have a pretty favorable schedule in September:
-6 more games against the Yankees
-12 games against some poor teams in the Red Sox, Indians, and Braves
-6 games agains the Orioles and 3 games against the Rays; teams that are trying to chase a wild card spot and have both played some mediocre baseball this season.

All in all, I like the Jays chances of winning the division, even if they don't win today.

[Blarg]

Hopefully Hutchinson sparks the team offence with that legendary run support

[KelVarnsen]

Loving the white panel hats

[Enoch Root]

He's thrown nothing but good pitches so far

[Finger Cookin]

They have to limit the delays with teams deciding whether to review or not. It's so annoying.

[transplant99]

Need good Joey Bats to show up...not meathead Joey Bats...looks like we are waiting a while longer.

[Yoho]

This umpire is brutal

[KelVarnsen]

Jose! Jose! Jose! Jose!

[jayswin]

The bats are back!!!!!!!

[jayswin]

This thread has completely dried up since about the 6th inning yesterday, but this is great. The inning was basically over until that error, which then led to our bats coming alive.

Hopefully that wakes them up for good, I'm feeling really confident now.

[jayswin]

Hopefully the CP keyboards will come alive with the bats. ;)

[Enoch Root]

What a beautiful inning - Tulo gets a break, then Donaldson works a single to cash in Tulo, then Bautista delivers the death blow.

3-0, despite really good pitching from Severino

[Enoch Root]

Hutchison with no runs on 1 hit through 4, and only 55 pitches

Been fantastic so far

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Hopefully the CP keyboards will come alive with the bats. ;)

Hey now, I'm busy watching the damn game! ;)

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Hutchison with no runs on 1 hit through 4, and only 55 pitches

Been fantastic so far

He's unfairly hated. Hutch is a good pitcher who is still relatively young and getting better all the time. Just because he's been poor on the road (I mean really poor), people think he's useless and want a recently rehabbed Stroman in the rotation over Hutch. I think that's a poor decision at this point in the year.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

You know, I know we just had the poll for 1B, but Smoak might be the best defensive 1st baseman this team has ever seen. I'm really confident with him in the field.

[transplant99]

He's unfairly hated. Hutch is a good pitcher who is still relatively young and getting better all the time. Just because he's been poor on the road (I mean really poor), people think he's useless and want a recently rehabbed Stroman in the rotation over Hutch. I think that's a poor decision at this point in the year.

Sorry but these last 2 starts aside he has been brutal for most of the year...and certainly not "getting better all the time". In fact he was getting worse for a long stretch there.

There is no hiding from a 5.26 ERA.

All that said it will be a bonus if he is the pitcher we are seeing right now moving forward because this club needs him as Stroman is still a month away from starting a game in the majors and this race will come down to the last week I believe.

[KelVarnsen]

Great game Hutch!

[Lil Pedro]

Been extremely unimpressed by Revere thus far in his Blue Jays career

[JayP]

Bunting is just so damn stupid.

[jayswin]

So close, almost had bases loaded with Tulo up, 0 outs.

[Enoch Root]

I hate that bunt call

Revere led the NL in hits last year and hits lefties really well.

Give the guy a chance to contribute to the team

[Caged Great]

Tulowitzki has been bad as well, but it's a small sample size.

[Enoch Root]

Been extremely unimpressed by Revere thus far in his Blue Jays career

Tulowitzki has been bad as well, but it's a small sample size.
Facing all new pitchers in a different league. And being used differently in the lineup.

Big adjustments

[Yoho]

Here is the ball game

[jayswin]

We've got this one!!

[jayswin]

http://33.media.tumblr.com/7732e9a30ede11a80b612fcb9f69203e/tumblr_n601v0Wa2U1rs13kco1_400.gif (http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCNmrvdCwrscCFdgXkgodwSkEoQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftorontobluejays.tumblr.com%2Fpost %2F86545983879%2Fsweeps-make-them-happy-a-little-nae-nae-dance&ei=OurQVdmmL9ivyATB05CICg&bvm=bv.99804247,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNHUIBiRR7utp0tKLvTHuI_YwLBIgA&ust=1439841175508287)

[KelVarnsen]

Yes!

[transplant99]

Good win for sure...now enjoy a day off and have to do some damage in Philly before next weekends set against the Angels.

[jayswin]

We needed this game so badly. I would have been really worried about their mental state this week if they had been swept and were 2.5 back of the Yankees.

They're in great shape now, and I can't wait for this week. They're bats are still quite concerning, I mean realistically without that fielding error on Tulo (even though they technically took the error away) it was realistic that we could have lost that game 1-0, which is kind of scary.

However, I think the bats are going to come alive after a day off and playing the Phillies, and then they'll be back on track.

Hopefully we can get a few more fans back posting this week now that we're back in the win column. I figured with the terrible weather there'd be a lot of people staying inside, but oh well, hopefully it picks up.

[KelVarnsen]

@SNBarryDavis: Aaron Loup has been optioned to AAA Buffalo. Team will announce corresponding move by Tuesday. #bluejays

[transplant99]

@SNBarryDavis: Aaron Loup has been optioned to AAA Buffalo. Team will announce corresponding move by Tuesday. #bluejays

Bringing Pompey up maybe?

[jschick88]

Sportsnet PR ‏@SportsnetPR (https://twitter.com/SportsnetPR)
2.03 Million Viewers Watch Friday’s Yankees vs. @BlueJays game on Sportsnet; Highest Audience in Network History
http://media.sportsnet.ca/2015/08/2-03-million-viewers-watch-fridays-yankees-vs-blue-jays-showdown-on-sportsnet-delivering-highest-audience-in-network-history/

Arden Zwelling ‏@ArdenZwelling (https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling)
Via @SportsnetPR, 3.14 million people were watching the #BlueJays on Friday during Troy Tulowitzki’s 12-pitch at-bat. That's 9% of Canada.

[SuperMatt18]

Have to wonder if this attendance and the TV ratings will convince Rogers to give the Jays even more money to spend next year.

If you put out a good product, and a winning team, Canada will flock to support them.

[Caged Great]

Yankees' pitcher Bryan Mitchell got drilled in the face by a line drive. Likely broke his nose.

[bluejays]

Have to wonder if this attendance and the TV ratings will convince Rogers to give the Jays even more money to spend next year.

If you put out a good product, and a winning team, Canada will flock to support them.

Toronto specifically has always been this way. Aside from the Leafs, they don't support losing teams. Once Anthopolis made those deals though, there was crazy buzz that normally only the Leafs generate. The hype will die down if they don't sign Price in the off-season. Toronto still treats the Jays like a fairweather sport. They gotta keep their foot on the pedal.